WPTV is highlighting the outstanding work that local law enforcement performs, culminating in the LEO Awards ceremony.
NewsChannel 5 recently had a chance to meet the nominees in the K-9 Achievement category.
When a suspect escaped from Lawnwood Hospital and made his way to Port St. Lucie in February, Officer Corey Krecic and K-9 Jaxson were on the case, tracking the man down in some thick brush.
The team, now partnered for six years, is one of the two finalists for a LEO award in K-9 Achievement.
"Just being partners with him has pushed me to a whole other level," Krecic said. "We just started integrating with SWAT, so that's something that's awesome."
Krecic said there's no better bond when out catching bad guys, and he knew this was the path he wanted to pursue once he got into law enforcement.
"These guys are playing with dogs and the stories they have," Krecic said. "There's nothing better. First person in is the K-9 unit? Yeah, I want to do that."
Indian River County Deputy Andrew Sebris was not Zeke's first owner, but like others who meet the German short-haired pointer, he fell in love with him immediately.
"He's high energy like me," Sebris said. "We both have a little bit of a high-energy streak in us."
As a firearms detection K-9, Sebris said Zeke's uncanny ability to find weapons, was in full display the first discovery they made together.
"There's a phrase that we use called 'Trust your dog,' and I had an idea I knew where it was, and it wasn't there," Sebris said. "The dog was pulling me the opposite direction, and I was getting frustrated to the point where we let him go, and he found it before we restarted."
The winning team will be announced on Thursday.